The Next Hachiko

Hachiko - a fiercely loyal dog in Japan which continued to wait for its owner every single day for 10 years since his owner passed away (and until it eventually passed on too).

We have here a touching story of another wonderfully loyal canine.

Tommy, a 7-year-old German shepherd, used to accompany his owner, Maria Margherita Lochi, to services at Santa Maria Assunta church in San Donaci, Italy, according to the Daily Mail, and was allowed to sit at her feet.

After Lochi died, the dog "joined mourners at her funeral service" according to locals and "followed after Maria's coffin" as it was carried into the church. After that, Tommy continued to attend mass alone, silently. Like everyone at mass, Tommy respected the process and has never once barked. Tommy is a stray who was adopted by Lochi, has been showing up "when the bell rings out to mark the beginning of services" ever since.

Who has the heart to throw such a loving dog out? Accordingly to Father Donato Panna, none of the other parishioners has complained so the just left him there until Mass finished before they let him out.

Such story of canine loyalty is extremely common. For those of you who has dogs, hope yours will be another great story to be told.

Big and I have been looking to adopt a dog for awhile but not a suitable one came along. If there is, the fosterers or the owners tend to want to keep the dog in the end. For adopters, one should be sure they are ready for the commitment and responsibilty. Likewise for the owners, when one decides to let their dogs have a better home, be ready to let go.

Homemade Braid

Designed and handmade by moi. 

schmikk has launched its first home collection! 

Visit www.facebook.com/schmikk for full details.

Customization possible, just give us a holla.

:)

Mr Panda

After years and years and years of procrastination, I finally picked up the paint brushes. Expensive raw materials is one thing. Painting a potential trash is the main fear factor. With no professional training or even any random trial-and-error, I had zero confidence of painting something I would be proud enough to hang on the wall.

Boy am I glad I painted Mr Panda. It is definitely far from the original- Andy Warhol's Giant Panda- but I am filled with pride and happiness as it sits smiling at me in the living room. :)

Have Fun

True that.

It's a cliche but damn true - live life to the fullest, it's too short!

WANDER WONDER

KEEP WANDERING, WONDERING

schmikk is born

schmikk is launched. Young and small, but finally.

They say the best accessory a girl can have is herself. Oh how we wish every girl's middle name is BagIt, ClutchTight or RingMe.

Accessorise, it's a simple spice in life!

www.facebook.com/schmikk

WORK FOR A CAUSE, NOT FOR APPLAUSE.

LIVE LIFE TO EXPRESS, NOT TO IMPRESS.

DON'T STRIVE TO MAKE YOUR PRESENCE NOTICED, JUST YOUR ABSENCE FELT.

-by unknown-

Fifty Shades

I think probably half the female population in modern civilization is reading Fifty Shades of Grey. My best friend introduced it to me- thus far I have seen a review in Time Magazine, heard a radio station renaming one of its segment to 'Fifty Shades', friends ogling about it, radio listeners raving and I have seen kids as young as twelve reading it on the MRT. Gosh, how much do kids know nowadays? Have they skipped childhood and aged overnight? Even adults blushed when the author went into too much details. Then again, I can't help but wonder how could the author could describe the scenes so well. Hmmm you never know if it's real, or really just a fantasy.

It is also unbelievable there are communities of Dominants and Submissives out there enjoying their little toys, in their playroom while the remaining of the world's population live in oblivion. One thing for sure is that I love the book. It is a modern love story with outrageous twist and turns, written so vividly it makes you mouth-twitching mad at times and love struck mostly. I love the characters. Not surprisingly, Mr Grey especially. Extremely gorgeous, highly intelligent and successful, charming grin, great bod. Most importantly, he's unbelievably loving and devoted. How much more goodness can there still be in one single package?

Just like you, I can't wait for the movie. I'm rooting for Ian Somerhalder- the character is totally based on him! Mesmerizing grey eyes, to-die-for grin, out-of-bed hair and he looks impeccable in suits. We shall see if I'm right. ;)

To Make You Feel My Love

One of my favourite songs. Be it Dylan or Adele, the lyrics so beautiful, the voice so mesmerizing, the meaning both heartbreaking & heartwarming.

When the rain
Is blowing in your face
And the whole world
Is on your case
I could offer you
A warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows
And the stars appear
And there is no - one there
To dry your tears
I could hold you
For a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you
Haven't made
Your mind up yet
But I would never
Do you wrong
I've known it
From the moment
That we met
No doubt in my mind
Where you belong

I'd go hungry
I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling
Down the avenue
Know there's nothing
That I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging
On the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change
Are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing
Like me yet

I could make you happy
Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends
Of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love, To make you feel my love

Choices

Life is full of choices, they say. That is a sentence I could not agree more. Like a tree, the journey of our lives start out as one tiny seed, which grows into a single stem, perhaps because our lives were planned by our loved ones at the beginning hence there is only one path. As the tree grows, the trunk starts dividing into several thick branches and the process goes on until we reach the tip of each vein. Ultimately, there are only a certain number of branches that flower and bear fruits. One path may lead you to a sweet-tasting fruit, the other may leave you to wilt.

Some are easy, almost brainless. Some are extremely challenging, almost sucidal.

Sometimes a decision seems appropriate at that time, but it might be the worst decision you have ever made few years down the road. Unfortunately, the branch has already grown and you could only travel along, praying you see a fruit at the tip of that particular vein.

One thing for sure- every decision, big or small, will leave a footprint in our lives. So, think twice, decide wise.

Are You Sociable?

I guess the term 'sociable' has evolved from 'willingness to interact with others' also known as 'friendliness', to 'how many social media platforms are you in?'
Our world is so immersed in social media, I have lost count of how many there are. In fact, it is futile counting because the number just grows by the day. I am sure everyone in the modern world is somehow in touch with social media but how intense are you? Are you a victim who joins everything for the sake of being involved, but in the end you are too overwhelmed that you could not handle any of them well? Or are you a master of one?
Facebook - Still the giant of social media community because you can do almost everything here, like re-posting the wannabe video you just posted on Youtube two minutes ago, stalk your ex, post a photograph of your breakfast this morning, check-in to inform the world you have just walked into the most amazing toilet, say good morning by poking your best friend, comment on your cousin's girlfriend's sister's pet dog. And the list goes on.

Twitter - I refuse to start on this. It's too time-consuming and too much information. I do not need to know whether you have just stepped into the office or your description to your friend how to meet up at the latest joint. Unless your work requires you to be constantly tweeting, if not, bosses will not like to see you holding on to your phone tweeting away.

Youtube - Oh I love Youtube for watching music videos. Although I limit myself to this, the choices are aplenty. From make-up tutorials to shuffling lessons, movie trailers to news on Indonesia's latest earthquake, Youtube sensations to your dad mawing the lawn. Endless.

Pinterest - I am obsessed with this at the moment. Every single minute that I am free, I will be checking out the latest pins. I love it because the pictures posted have a certain degree of beauty and artsy-fartsyness in it. It reminds me that there are so much creativity out there in this world which I am deprived of. It is literally a virtual mood board- you can categorise the pins under different boards, and of course, just like any other social media, you can comment on it or post it on Facebook. LOVE IT.





Instagram - Similar to Pinterest, you get to post artsy-fartsy pictures. The difference is that it allows you to edit your picture such that it looks like you took it in lomography or with a polaroid.



Definitely this list is not exhaustive, far from it. Some of them just fall under the Social Networking category. Not forgetting MySpace, Photobucket, Vimeo, Google+, Yahoo!Answers, Four Square and Flickr, just to name a few.
I love it that the social media platforms are interlinked. It saves time. You just need to do it once and it appears everywhere.
As I am typing away, I am using Blogspot. I guess I am a typical social media user and have sort of reached my limit of learning new ones.

Bangkok University

Was it almost a decade ago that more schools were claiming to instill creativity in students? Finally, someone is doing it.

Bangkok University took it to the next level. Not your usual ''Creativity-enhancing-programs-led-by-boring lecturers'' but a whole new sensory-stimulating recreation centre for students. Check out BU Lounge at Bangkok University- a two storey student village beneath the University's new Landmark compound. It is like Willy Wonker's factory minus the chocolate and candies.

Upstairs is more upbeat. Karaoke hut, music rehearsal room, pool-table-cum-miniature-golf thing, Kung-fu stress release space ( not sure what that is) and a pole dancing corner. You heard it right, this is Bangkok after all. 

Too much to handle? Follow the panda and slide down to a quieter lower level. You will not be greeted by Cheschire Cat but by an enormous reading space with modern furnitures that I personally would love to bring home. Mr Panda is actually a stairway which students could repaint in the future. The giant sofa could also be reconfigured to suit their mood.

Getting too relaxed and wanna check out what's happening upstairs? Just look through the periscope.

There will certainly be no dull time here. However I am not sure if I would still want to attend lectures if there was such a recreational centre during my time.



Brissy

Back from the most relaxing trip ever! Brisbane is my new getaway haven. Melbourne is the favourite cousin, but Brissie is just as loving.

My holiday trips used to involve chasing after buses and trains, sometimes even planes, shopping till I drop and hunting for local fares. One word- exhausting.

What is better than not knowing the itinerary of the day and just do whatever you feel like? I love the idea that everyday starts with a blank page. It feels amazing to sleep till the sun burns my ass or till Toby wakes me up with its magical saliva that comes with a tinge of doggy smell.

Everyone says hello to Toby.

 

What else makes me happy? Great food, of course. Gosh, looking at these pictures brings back the lingering taste.

Fish & Chips (Swampdog)

I know Aussies like their vegemite and toast. But having it with avocado is a first for me. It tastes so much better with cracked pepper. 

Steak burger with bacon and cranberry sauce (The Corner Shop). Man, this is good!

Poached eggs with bacon and turkish bread

Sipping coffee, enjoying street art. Never came across as a wonderful past time until now :)

The only thing we did apart from doing nothing is playing golf. The golf course is amazing! Imagine this- green green grass, sunny weather with light breeze kissing your face, a peaceful lake with a whole lots of ducks and swans. Yes, swans! And yes, there were kangaroos having their morning graze as we try to hit the balls as hard as we can and not hurting the Roos at the same time. Last but not least, admiring the well-designed bungalows located strategically around the golf course and along the lake is definitely pleasing.

Crowne Plaza at Pelican Waters

Till the next trip!

Xoxo, Mik

Tod's D styling Bauletto

I have a brand new Tods D-Styling Bauletto (small) for sale. It's unused, still sitting nicely in the dustbag. Orange is super eye-catching and it's the latest colour which can still be found in store. I'm letting it go at USD 1,332 / SGD 1,720 (original price is USD1,665)! You can check it out here. Not that I regret but I bought the wrong size.

It's definitely the most iconic bag for Tods, and also in the fashion industry. If you like understated yet quality goods, this is one great choice. It doesn't have loud logos screaming all over your face- just spectacular design, good quality and great craftsmanship.

Please contact me at ho.mikeller@gmail.com if you or any of your friends are interested. Thanks!

Yup, the bag has many fans.



Elie Saab

Other than Lavin, I don't think there is another label that has me gasping non-stop "I want this, I want this". Elie Saab is an exception.

Never was I a fan of glitters and sequins. In fact, I hated it. But now, I'm a convert. What used to be girlish fetish to me now becomes a womanly desire. Elie Saab Fall-Winter 2012 Haute Couture collection is amazing. It is a celebration of women's body. Yes, the models look stunning as expected, however I am sure his designs will make any woman beautiful.

Dramatism in this collection is not via crazy colours or outrageous silhouette but through his intricate designs and skillful craftsmanship.

Be it the neat, heavily-sequinned dresses or the sexy, flowy gowns-- all are head-turning. I love them.